What kind of Mac do I have
I was given a Mac. It looks like the Mac Pro. How do I find which Mac it is and wht operating system It has.
i have never used a Mac before
5 replies
Hi markmathews1962;
Does it boot?
Allan
Does it boot?
Allan
If it has one optical drive bay (in idiots' terms, one rectangly thingy on the top-front) it's a PowerMac G5 (or the extremely rare Pentium 4 Mac described below). If it has two, it's a Mac Pro.
Still not sure? If it boots, log in (or not, if it autologins), then click the little Apple in the top-left corner of the screen and see what it says there.
If it says Intel Xeon, you have a Mac Pro.
If it says PowerPC, you have a PowerMac G5.
If it says Pentium 4, you're extremely lucky and got one of those Macs that were used to migrate PowerPC software to Intel! Look inside and check if the motherboard is red, then post here with details.
It also shows your OS there. If it says 10.2.x, you're using Jaguar, 10.3.x is Panther, 10.4.x is Tiger, and 10.5.x is Leopard.
It also shows your RAM amount. Anything below 1 GB should be upgraded (not required, but recommended). A quick Google should show you all you need. (Don't upgrade if you got that extremely rare Pentium 4.)
Still not sure? If it boots, log in (or not, if it autologins), then click the little Apple in the top-left corner of the screen and see what it says there.
If it says Intel Xeon, you have a Mac Pro.
If it says PowerPC, you have a PowerMac G5.
If it says Pentium 4, you're extremely lucky and got one of those Macs that were used to migrate PowerPC software to Intel! Look inside and check if the motherboard is red, then post here with details.
It also shows your OS there. If it says 10.2.x, you're using Jaguar, 10.3.x is Panther, 10.4.x is Tiger, and 10.5.x is Leopard.
It also shows your RAM amount. Anything below 1 GB should be upgraded (not required, but recommended). A quick Google should show you all you need. (Don't upgrade if you got that extremely rare Pentium 4.)
You can find out which model it is and how it should be equipped by looking at the label on the back.
Then, if it boots, you can look at the "About This Mac" feature by clicking on it from the pulldown menu from the Apple icon at the left of your menu bar. Click on "More info" and you'll find everything you need to know.
Then, if it boots, you can look at the "About This Mac" feature by clicking on it from the pulldown menu from the Apple icon at the left of your menu bar. Click on "More info" and you'll find everything you need to know.
Hi Mark:
Disregarding the pedantic little diatribe about idiots, do read Paul's posting. It will give you some insight.
If you can turn it on and have a mouse and a screen hooked up to it, the best way is to click on the little "apple icon" in the top left corner of the top bar and then click on "about this Mac". The screen that pops up should have a button for more info on it. Good luck and welcome to the wonderful world of Macs.
BTW we are all idiots when it comes to Macs. Some more, some less
Disregarding the pedantic little diatribe about idiots, do read Paul's posting. It will give you some insight.
If you can turn it on and have a mouse and a screen hooked up to it, the best way is to click on the little "apple icon" in the top left corner of the top bar and then click on "about this Mac". The screen that pops up should have a button for more info on it. Good luck and welcome to the wonderful world of Macs.
BTW we are all idiots when it comes to Macs. Some more, some less
What kind of Mac do I have